Former Olympian, running coach explains benefits of Run Walk Run method
HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - There’s an interesting strategy that many runners may be using at the Honolulu Marathon on Sunday, and it’s called the Run Walk Run method.
It was developed by former Olympian, Vietnam veteran, and running coach Jeff Galloway back in 1973. He came up with the idea while coaching beginners.
Galloway said it’s a simple way to reduce exhaustion and pain, allowing more people to finish the race.
“You run for a short amount, as short as three to five seconds of shuffling, and then walk for 30-60 seconds,” he said. “And by continuing to make the adjustments of going back and forth, you can gradually increase either the distance or the amount of running versus walking that you want to do.”
Galloway said it’s not just for beginners. Competitive athletes have benefited from these cutting times.
“Surprisingly, Run Walk Run allows competitive athletes to run faster, and at the Honolulu Marathon, for instance, those running that distance tend to improve 13-15 minutes if they were running non-stop and they shift to the Run Walk Run,” he said.
Galloway said that running nonstop is the main reason people give up running.
“The reason it works is that if you take that break early and often, you keep erasing the fatigue buildup, and you also erase the stress on weak links that cause key injuries,” he said. “And as you keep doing the Run Walk Run, you are the one during the last one-third of the race that’s passing people. And because you’re not slowing down, your times are better.”
Galloway added: “But the other advantages are you can actually enjoy the whole event, even a marathon.”
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